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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Anyone else not put christmas presents in seperate piles for xmas morning?

117 replies

Seasonschaaaange · 28/10/2017 23:45

We put all presents under the tree all mixed up, including adult presents. Our kids then look at the labels and pass the presents out. I grew up with my mum doing the same and always thought it was the normal way of doing things till I became an adult with facebook. Now I see it is far more common for presents to be put in seperate piles and placed on the sofa etc. I love the way we do it and can't imagine changing it. Just wondering if there is anyone else who does the same?

OP posts:

SilverdaleGlen · 29/10/2017 01:19

Queen, no you can't which is why I'm considering switching it to your way!

QueenInTheNorth26 · 29/10/2017 01:49

Silver just give it a go this year, nothing can go wrong

confused123456 · 29/10/2017 01:56

On Christmas Eve when the presents are put under the tree, I put them in separate piles. I find it makes it so much easier the next day.

SpinnerDryer · 29/10/2017 02:10

I think mixed is best.

skankingpiglet · 29/10/2017 02:15

The separate piles option has never occurred to me, it has always been a 'single pile under the tree based on what stacks neatly together' from when I was a child and I still do it now. I used to love picking up the presents, squishing them (to guess if it might be one for me), reading the label and handing them over as a kid. Last year DD1 fetched them out and brought them over for us to read the label (she was 2), and I could see her doing the same squidging and shaking. I'm looking forward to more of the same this year whilst desperately trying to stop then 18mo DD2 opening ALL the presents

KickAssAngel · 29/10/2017 02:55

one big mixed pile. put out after bedtime on christmas eve.

I know people who do different paper for each kid and piles. seems kind of clinical.

AcrossthePond55 · 29/10/2017 02:56

DH's family presents handed out and opened Xmas Eve at iL's house after supper as that was their tradition.

Piles from Santa at home Xmas morning, wrapped in different paper for each child/person (Why did I ever start that! My Santa gifts weren't wrapped at all)

My family's presents handed out and opened Xmas afternoon after lunch as that's our tradition.

Our kids always thought of it as having three Xmases.

hiddley · 29/10/2017 03:03

I only have one dc so it was always under the tree (one of the joys of only having one dc). However, when we were children, I think when we were tiny, we might have been disappointed one year or something as one of us didn't get the big sized present so my mother divided it into piles to avoid disappointment. We could then see straight away what was ours.

hiddley · 29/10/2017 03:11

I love all the Santa stuff and miss it though. DS is 13 now. I still do Santa though! I remember one year, I had so much pound stuff trash in his stocking that the blooming thing fell down under the weight. Well Christmas morning, ds was in awe of this stocking spewing presents all over the floor. It was the first thing he spotted! Can you ever forget their little faces and amazement when they see that Santa came! It's like they have had a tiny doubt that maybe he might not come or something and yet, there it is, every year, Santa comes.

hiddley · 29/10/2017 03:18

Do any of you play into the 'Oh my goodness, Santa was clumsy, or oh my goodness, look at the mess he left with presents everywhere?'

Just me probably. I think it just feels more like 'what Mammy would be moaning about normally so it must be real'.

hiddley · 29/10/2017 03:29

Then I love the half nibbled carrot with a mess everywhere that Rudolph left (again I pretend to give out about the mess he left) and half an eaten biscuit that Santa had and of course he drinks the milk too the fecker.

I'm so derailing this thread.

Presents.
I like the idea of them all being under the tree, but you have the worry I guess of them hoping something is for them when it's not.

hiddley · 29/10/2017 03:33

Can I just warn you all, that the elves don't actually help out with the wrapping of presents. Nope. Found that out 13 years ago. I was very disappointed to be honest. Santa does it. Sorry to break that to you.

justnippingin · 29/10/2017 03:34

In our house Father Christmas leaves his sacks of presents around the tree, the family and friends presents are under the tree for dishing out.

Whichever way, I love the magic of "he's been".

MsJuniper · 29/10/2017 04:01

We had pillowcases from F.C. in our rooms on Christmas morning, then family and any other presents all mixed up under the tree and someone designated hander-outerer 😁

I do similar with DS but this year we are going to my ILs and they do presents on Christmas Eve and are super minimal so I am a bit sad about that.

WellThisIsShit · 29/10/2017 04:33

I’m intrigued by the big pile and DS read the labels and give them out...

But doesn’t that mean you need to label each present? Shudders at idea of that many gift tags and messages to write.

Do you think I can swap to a new way of doing it after the first 7yrs of DS life being done in piles?

Hummm, would stop the awfulness of my mother staring intently at each recipient ....

Sunshineandgin · 29/10/2017 04:58

We used to have it as a mixed pile when we were children, then the youngest would be the “elves” to hand out the presents. There were never loads so we’d take it in turns to unwrap as well so my mum and dad would make a note of what we received from who and could write our thank you letters later. Loved our Christmas days, we never had presents until after lunch either, the anticipation was great!

gigi556 · 29/10/2017 05:09

Yes! All mixed up. Half the fun was finding all the presents. Also, we were never alllowed to put anything under the until Christmas Eve.

Cupcake99 · 29/10/2017 05:37

@WellThisIsShit when my children were small (before they could read) I used to print out pictures of the recipients and stick them to the presents so they could hand them out :)

Cupcake99 · 29/10/2017 05:43

We do a mixed pile too. All presents go under the tree wrapped as they are bought,so the pile grows and grows under the tree in the run up to Christmas. Father Christmas brings one gift and it is wrapped in different paper. The kids get to open their stockings first thing,then we have a big breakfast so everyone has a chance to wake up. Tree presents get opened after breakfast-one at a time so we can all admire them. After presents the kids get to play while everyone gets washed up and final food preparations are made for lunch. Opening one at a time (with the kids choosing gifts and handing out) prolongs the joy-and covers up the fact that mummy and daddy don't have so many presents. I looooove Christmas! Side note:my dad lives in a different country, so will usually come for a visit in January, and we do it all again-kids love pop pop Christmas :)

youarenotkiddingme · 29/10/2017 06:44

There's only ds and I at home - so everything under the tree is his!

However at my mums everything is under the tree randomly! There's mine and my 2 siblings presents, my parents presents and my ds and nephews presents. They come from my parents, my aunts etc and each other.
My mum grabs one each and hands them out and then we doing another!

Love it

youarenotkiddingme · 29/10/2017 06:47

I will also add no presents get put under the tree until kids are in bed.

Well don't know when mum does hers now as none of us live at home!

TheWorldIsMyCakePop · 29/10/2017 06:52

Stockings upstairs, everything else under the tree...though Father Christmas brings the big ticket item and normally they're left close to, but not under the tree e.g. wooden dolls house - too big to fit

I cringe at the thought of posting piles of presents pictures as I now see for birthdays and Christmas!

RhinestoneCowgirl · 29/10/2017 06:55

Mixed pile here. We bring all presents down after tea on Christmas Eve from wherever they have been stashed and put them under the tree. Although DH and I don't go overboard with presents, we have fair few relations, so the pile usually takes up quite a bit of space.

We also take turns opening presents. There's a bit of ritual reading the label, squidging the present. Mil was surprised when she visited that the DC weren't just ripping open in a frenzy 'that's what we did when DH was small'

Theaspidistraiswilting · 29/10/2017 06:56

Big pile and one at a time here too. It takes a long time but that’s nice! Everyone sees everyone else’s presents and goes ooh and aah and it makes everything feel more special. My in laws then arrive and ruin it all by practically chucking their presents at the kids and cheer them on to massacre the pile in seconds - no idea who has given what and the kids are evil bastards for the rest of the day. I hate it and have to not watch!

Chocolatecake12 · 29/10/2017 07:08

All mixed up under the tree in our house. It was that way for me and my dad dished out the presents.
I love it when I see the kids looking at the labels and giving out the gifts.
The only presents that are separate are the stocking and big gift from F.C.

Getting all excited now is it time to put up the tree?!!

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